Button positive after solid start

"Today's running was always going to be difficult because of the weather," said Button after finishing the afternoon session in eighth position.

"The rain after the first session left the track slightly damp for the start of the second.  With the programme that we had, the work we did was positive and our long-run pace was reasonable.

"There is still a lot of work to do on our long-runs but the car worked well on both tyres and then on new tyres at the end. To get a good lap round here you need a very good set-up and today is not a bad start. We're moving in the right direction," the Briton added.

Teammate Rubens Barrichello was not too happy after struggling with his car's handling, the Brazilian finishing down in 15th position.

"We made some big changes for the afternoon session and I was not very happy with the car as a result," he said. "They didn't translate in the way that we hoped.

"The track was very different as well this afternoon after the rain and it was quite windy out there. We have learned some important things for the rest of the weekend though."